Man Utd in summer swoop for Saints midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin

Just when you thought reigning Premier League champions Manchester United could not possibly want any more of Southampton’s talented young team to come up to Old Trafford, tabloid reports claim David Moyes has set his sights on Morgan Schneiderlin.

The Red Devils boss, who is 11/2 to take his team past Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals after drawing the first leg, believes 24-year-old Schneiderlin could be the answer to his holding midfield problem.

United had dispatched scouts to St Mary’s, but they are filing reports back on as many as four players that have flourished under Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino. As well as Schneiderlin, they are linked with full backs Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw, and Saints skipper Adam Lallana – an attacking midfielder.

Southampton may have to cash in on some of their young stars this summer because of outstanding transfer fees, plus they will have to pay for their new training ground. That total bill is believed to be well in excess of £50m.

That does not mean the Red Devils, or any other rumoured suitors, will be able to purchase players from the Saints on the cheap, however. Schneiderlin, who could represent France or England because he has been a resident there for five years, has three years left on his current deal, so the south coast side value him at a reported £15m.

Such a price almost certainly makes Schneiderlin a cheaper alternative to other rumoured United targets, which include Bayern dynamo Toni Kroos and Borussia Dortmund’s injured pass master Ilkay Gundogan.

England internationals Lallana and Shaw, meanwhile, are wanted by other top Premier League clubs, who are far more likely to offer them European football than Moyes can. The Red Devils are seven points off a Champions League place, but have played more games than four of the five teams above them.

Coral give odds of 40/1 on United somehow making up that gap, and recording a top four finish.